Upper School musical theater students took the stage on November 11 and 12 to present the funny and poignant Little Shop of Horrors.
Little Shop of Horrors is the story of Seymour, played with humor and compassion by Varun Iyer, a hapless botanist working alongside Audrey (whose vulnerability and low self-esteem were played brilliantly by Tillie McCoskey), in a Skid Row neighborhood flower shop.
The crabby owner Mr. Mushnik (made lovably annoying by Jacob Besser) laments his shops steady decline until Seymour happens upon a strange plant that feeds on human blood. Growing steadily on stage, the plant soon gains notoriety for Seymour and the shop, which turns the business around. The plant, named Audrey II by Seymour out of his affection for his co-worker, soon develops a domineering baritone voice and makes increasingly frightening demands. Warren Lester, offstage and unseen, delivered the classic line "Feed Me" as the voice of Audrey II, while Gaige McKnight brought the enormous puppet to life.
With the help of an outstanding choral trio to keep the story moving along (Abi Price, McKinney Waggoner, and Lily Turner), Little Shop of Horrors balances light-hearted moments with its characters' chronic despair, especially that of Audrey, as she contends with her abusive boyfriend Orin, a sadistic motorcycle-riding dentist, played with frightening precision by Noah Bernstein.
The Lakehill production showcased the talents of nearly 40 Upper School students. Special appearances were made by fifth graders Sofia and Lily Bracken, as city dwellers in the musical number "Skid Row." The walk-on role in the musical is a special item sold each year during the Lakehill PFC Benefit Auction.
Lakehill's production featured stage direction by Mark Guerra and musical direction by Tracy Herron. Linda Booth provided musical accompaniment, while Lela Bell returned as choreographer.
Thanks to the PFC Performing Arts Committee, Sandhya Iyer, Barbara Clay, Susan Langley, Dana Turner, and Winnie Arrington, and their team of parent volunteers for their help and support in bringing Little Shop of Horrors to the stage.
For more information about Lakehill, visit lakehillprep.org.